Page 13 of The Hookup (Firsts and Forever #13)

Hal

As requested, I sent Ryder a text when I left work that afternoon. Even though we were doing this long-distance, I was still giddy with anticipation and couldn’t wait to see what he had planned.

When I got home, Vee was in the process of grabbing a coat from the rack beside the front door. “Hi there,” I said. “Are you on your way to work?” Since he looked entirely unlike himself in a bland button-down shirt and dress pants, I was pretty sure I already knew the answer to that.

“Yeah. I’m working until two a.m. Lucky me.” He worked the front desk at a boutique hotel and hated every minute of it. “In better news, you got a couple of deliveries this afternoon, which I left outside your bedroom door. So, who’s your admirer?”

“Ryder and I have a virtual date tonight. I assume he sent whatever was delivered.”

Vee perked up at that. “I’m glad. I’m rooting for you two.”

“Are you?”

“Absolutely. I know the long-distance thing isn’t ideal, but there was such an obvious spark between the two of you when you were together. That doesn’t happen every day.”

He opened the front door and paused to tell me, “I have to run, but I want to hear all about it tomorrow. You have the house to yourself, by the way. Yolanda and JoJo are having dinner and seeing a play with friends, and Dylan and Lark decided to do an impromptu weekend getaway. Just FYI, in case the cybersex gets loud tonight.”

He grinned and winked at me, and then he left before I could tell him that wasn’t going to happen. Ryder and I had kept this strictly platonic since we got back from Las Vegas. There was no reason to assume that was about to change.

I hurried upstairs to see what Ryder had sent, and a surprised laugh burst from me. An absurdly large tan-colored teddy bear was leaning against my door. Beside it was a gorgeous bouquet of yellow mini sunflowers and purple irises in a vase, along with a small, gold gift bag.

Steve, the black cat who’d shown up at the pink Victorian one day and never left, was curled up on the bear’s lap. “Sorry, cat,” I said, “but I have to move the bear so I can get through the door.”

As soon as I started to shift the stuffed animal, Steve leapt up and stalked away. The bear weighed a ton and was easily four feet high, even in its seated position. I dragged it into my room before going back for the gift bag and flowers.

To get cute for my date, I traded my outfit for a black silk slip dress with spaghetti straps, brushed my hair, and added some tinted lip balm. I took a seat at my desk and fired up my laptop, and then I texted Ryder to let him know I was ready. Why was I nervous?

We both hopped onto a Zoom call, and when he appeared on my screen, he murmured, “Wow, you look amazing.”

“Thank you, and thanks for the gifts.”

I angled the computer so he could see the bear, and he started laughing. “Oh, shit. I wanted to send you something you could cuddle, but I didn’t realize it was going to be that big.”

“It’s very cute, and the floral arrangement is gorgeous.” I held up the flowers and smelled them before returning them to my desk.

“The sunflowers are supposed to represent me. I grow several different kinds every summer. And the irises are meant to represent you, because purple is your favorite color, and because I thought they were really beautiful and elegant.”

“They go together perfectly.”

“I think so, too.”

I picked up the gift bag and asked, “Can I open this now, or should I wait?”

“Open it now. It’s nothing big.”

It contained a gold box tied with a purple ribbon and filled with six gorgeous, artisan chocolates. “Thank you again. These are too pretty to eat, but I’ll do it anyway because they smell heavenly.”

“I know flowers and chocolate aren’t very original, but what can I say? I’m an old-fashioned type of guy.”

“Hey, they’re classics for a reason.”

We both heard a loud knock, and Ryder glanced at his phone and told me, “That’s your dinner. I’m going to go get something from the kitchen while you answer the door.”

I ran downstairs and quickly returned with bags from two different restaurants. Ryder was still gone, but one of his dogs had taken over for him. As the greyhound sniffed Ryder’s screen and the camera, I said, “Hi there, puppy. I’ve forgotten your name.”

“That’s Sally,” Ryder reminded me, as he reappeared and took a seat. “As in long, tall Sally.”

“How could I forget?” I held up the bags and asked, “Should I unpack all of this, or do one at a time?”

“Go ahead and unpack all of it. There should be a couple of cocktails in there, because I thought you might like some drinks before dinner.”

The cocktails were mojitos with fresh mint, delivered in reusable mini mason jars. There was also a green salad, a perfect sushi roll decorated with a single orchid, and a luscious-looking slice of strawberry cheesecake. My next question was, “Is that a yam tempura roll?”

“Yup.”

“How did you know that’s my favorite?”

“You mentioned it once.”

“Did I?”

“Yeah, about a month ago. I don’t remember how we got on the subject, but I said I wasn’t a big fan of sushi because I didn’t like raw fish. You explained there are all different kinds, and that your favorite—yam tempura sushi—doesn’t have any fish in it at all.”

“I can’t believe you remembered that.”

“You called it your favorite food in the whole world, so of course I did.”

“You also remembered my favorite cocktail, favorite dessert, and the type of dressing I like on my salad.”

He shrugged and said, “I pay attention.”

“You really do. Way to make me feel seen.” He smiled self-consciously, and I told him,

“Thank you for going above and beyond. I just wish I could have sent you dinner, too.”

“Not possible, since nobody delivers out here. But I put on my thinking cap and made myself stuff to mirror your meal, more or less.” He raised a bottle of beer and said, “Let’s drink a toast.”

I took off the lid and raised one of the jars. “What should we drink to?”

“To you, Hal, and all the beauty you bring into the world, through the things you make and just by living in it.” He chuckled and added, “That sounded less corny in my head.”

“It was very sweet. And to you, Ryder, the kindest, most thoughtful man I’ve ever known.”

Now that we’d both embarrassed each other, we took a drink and started chatting about our day.

When it was time for the salad course, I unpacked a plastic fork and tucked into my fancy baby field greens with a light vinaigrette.

Meanwhile, he enjoyed a big bowl of iceberg lettuce with carrots, croutons, and ranch dressing.

Once we finished, he picked up his empty bowl and told me, “I’ll be right back. I’ve been keeping my dinner warm in the oven.”

As soon as he left, Sally reappeared, sniffing all around and probably hoping for a stray crouton. I chuckled at the close-up of her big nose as she sniffed the camera.

When Ryder came back, I heard him before I saw him. “Scoot over, Sally, and quit rubbing your nose all over my computer. You’re smudging the screen.”

He was wearing oven mitts that looked like sharks and carrying a dinner plate, which was covered with an inverted metal mixing bowl.

I grinned when he lifted the DIY cloche, revealing a grilled cheese sandwich that had been cut into one-inch circles with a cookie cutter.

That was accompanied by a side of sweet potato fries.

“I briefly considered tryin’ to roll some rice around the fries to make something resembling sushi,” he said, “but I figured that’d end in disaster, so I went with this instead.”

“Good call.”

As we started on our entrees, he commented, “You’re a pro at working those chopsticks.

” My meal had come with a disposable wooden pair, and I was using them to lightly dip the sushi into a small cup of soy sauce.

Meanwhile, he’d poured a pool of ranch dressing onto his plate and was dipping the fries into it.

He really was mirroring me in his own way.

“My dad taught me how to use them when I was little.”

“It must have been cool to grow up with traditions from both of your parents’ cultures.”

“Dad was all about passing down his traditions, but Mom really wanted to acclimate to life in the US and tried to let go of her past. I always thought it was sad that she didn’t want to pass on her family’s traditions, but at least she taught me Spanish.”

“Are you fluent in Japanese, too?” When I nodded, he said, “That’s impressive. I don’t know anyone else who’s trilingual.”

I shrugged. “It’s easy to learn multiple languages when you grow up with them.”

“My Gran taught me a little Spanish. I’m pretty rusty, though.”

“You mentioned she immigrated from Mexico. Did she teach you any of her family’s traditions?”

“A few. They mostly have to do with food. Like, every Christmas, I make a whole mountain of tamales and give a bunch to my friends. I think she’d be happy to know I kept that tradition alive.”

“I love tamales. When I was growing up in Southern California, I used to buy them from this lady who lived in our apartment building. It would be really cool to know how to make them.”

“I’d be happy to show you my Gran’s version. If you want to, we can make them when you visit over spring break.” He quickly added, “No pressure, though. I know you’re still not sure if you can get away.”

Right then and there, I made a decision. “I’m definitely coming. I think the change of scenery will do me good, and I really want to spend time with you.”

His face lit up in a gorgeous smile. “Leave everything to me. I’ll buy your plane tickets, and I’ll see if my ranch hand can work some extra hours. That way, we can take our time when I show you Austin. I think you’ll like it.”

After he named a bunch of local attractions we could visit, I said, “Or we could just stay in bed all week.”

He paused with the beer bottle halfway to his mouth. “Yeah?”

“We barely got started in Vegas. Ever since then, I’ve been fantasizing about you.”